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Jumia opens up online marketplace in Nigeria to empower offline SMEs
After celebrating its 2nd year anniversary, ecommerce store Jumia Nigeria has now announced the launch of its online Marketplace where third-party merchants can leverage its online presence to sell goods and services. This comes two weeks after it launched the Kenyan equivalent.
The Rocket Internet-backed venture says that this marketplace bridges the gap between consumers and access to products. It’s one step closer to building Jumia’s vision of having a massive impact on the Nigerian economy.
The online shopping company has recently partnered with the major telecom MTN and is now operating in Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire and Uganda.
Similar to what its competitor, Konga, launched in February this year, the Marketplace enables SMEs to showcase their products online thereby reaching a larger and more targeted audience.
It’s also meant to give local vendors a boost into the online space. Jumia Nigeria boasts over a 100,000 visitors daily and can deliver to customers anywhere in the country.
“I run a home-based business and I must say joining the Jumia marketplace has really been helpful especially with increasing my sales. Jumia has offered my business more visibility,” said Kenneth Ubogu, Jumia Marketplace seller.
Managing Director, Jumia Nigeria Jeremy Doutte says, “we are glad to be empowering other businesses like us to grow and definitely increase their sales. Retail in Nigeria has seen a major change in recent times and we are glad to be part of that change. In the next few years, Online retail with marketplace will be a major success story that will contribute largely to the Nation’s GDP.”
Not only is the company setting a standard for other aspiring players in the local ecommerce space, it’s setting the foundations for what’s predicted to become a massive industry. With over 160 million potential customers and a growing online infrastructure in Nigeria, Jumia is certainly making a name for itself while the market is still fresh.